A weakened Liverpool side held Real Madrid to just a 1-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers left out his stars, including captain Steven Gerrard, to play La Liga champions Madrid but escaped with a narrow defeat as Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez endured an off night.

That Cristiano Ronaldo is one of us after all...

Without a degree in advanced mathematics it has been difficult to tot up all Cristiano Ronaldo's goals this season.

In fact, it has been like that for a few years now.

The Portuguese is an unstoppable machine, a relentless goalscoring cyborg sent from Madeira to show the world that the one-in-two goalscoring record that we thought acceptable a decade ago is the preserve of mere mortals.

So there was something quite reassuring to see him short-circuit slightly and have an off night against Liverpool.

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Fortunately for boss Carlo Ancelotti it was still a comfortable win for the hosts - even if the score doesn't look it. But like watching Lionel Messi stroke a penalty the wrong side of the post, Ronaldo's performance was one that reassured us that the stuff running through his veins is red and mucky just like the rest of us.

Even if sometimes it appears his runs ice cold.

That the Liverpool way probably isn't a thing...

For all that has been said about the Liverpool manager understanding the Liverpool way - whatever that means - and being an heir to the greats of Anfield past, his team selection at the Bernabeu was nothing short of an embarrassment.

For the 4,000 fans who travelled to Madrid in hope of their side pulling off a historic win, it was a slap in the face. For the players who will have dreamed of making an appearance in one of the sport’s great coliseums it was an agonising snub.

The reasoning behind Rodgers’ decision is solid enough if you consider the upcoming Premier League match with Chelsea to be a vital top-of-the-table clash.

But it isn’t, it's not even close, and you feel that the prospect of revenge on Jose Mourinho has clouded Rodgers’ judgement.

And what does this do to the mindset of his squad? Many great managers have invoked pragmatism through the years to rotate their squad and win trophies. But that requires a winning mentality that is uniform from the fringest of fringe players up to the undroppables. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man United won many a game with a weakened side because these were players drilled with the belief and inspired by their manager.

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What we saw from the Reds last night was a million miles from that. They were plucky losers and avoided a mauling but is this not a club that prides itself on being one of Europe's elite?

Indeed, with their second string far from hammered by the Spaniards, you ask yourself if Liverpool couldn't have grabbed an win at the Bernabeu.

Worse sides than them have beaten Madrid this season, yet the fact that they were far from steamrollered leaves the worst question of all - what if?

Mignolet still has something to offer...

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Simon Mignolet has not had a vintage season so far, and the understanding is that those who matter inside the Anfield club are already looking for a replacement for the Belgian.

But he was one of the better Liverpool performers on the night, showing solid wrists and bravery off his line.

It would help if he occasionally caught the thing, granted, but all he can do is keep the ball out of the net and having conceded just one goal from an onslaught of XX efforts on his goal, he didn't do too badly.

Brendan really doesn't seem to fancy Lambert...

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While having a transfer committee does make sense on the basis that several heads are better than one, and it providing continuity in a club's recruitment policy, it sometimes means a manager is left with a player he doesn't really like.

And on a completely unrelated note, has anybody worked out what is going on with Rickie Lambert at Liverpool?

The England man was one of the most effective Premier League strikers over the past couple of seasons, but he's not in the picture for Rodgers right now.

And even if you think Fabio Borini's piece may have been more suited to the counter-attack, it still looks like everyone's favourite former beetroot-packager could be facing the Anfield can.

Benzema is Karim of the crop...

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Flanked by far more illustrious and photogenic colleagues it is not often Karim Benzema grabs the headlines.

And, in fact, tonight will probably be no different.

But the Frenchman has been in superb form for the Madrileños in all competitions and, on an evening when those Brylcreemed superstars were decidedly off-colour, he scored the vital goal.

It wasn't long ago that Liverpool were linked with a move for the 'unwanted' centre-forward, but those times seem a long way away now.

Karim is at the peak of his powers, and the Reds boss simply lay down and died - even if his players didn't.